*rolls eyes*

[torquill]

I've heard all these arguments before. Sometimes in this same order.

They didn't change my mind the first several times I heard them. Odds are they won't now, either.

Having heard and acknowledged the arguments against it, I am still comfortable with my position. It doesn't matter to me that my equanimity bothers you. No, I don't think that I'm being a hypocrite.

Can we just cut to the chase and call it a difference of opinion? I'm too tired and foggy to argue it all again, and I'm not going to change your mind about either the issue or your perception of me, it's quite obvious from here.

Comments

[cadhla.livejournal.com]

Meep?

You okay, hon?

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

Evidently I don't post firestrike-style cryptic comments often enough, if people worry when I do so. :)

No problems here, just needing to vent a little outside of the original venue.

[shadowwalkyr.livejournal.com]

And what about exactly are we speaking?

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

packy's got it... I was talking about a book with someone on lily, and it devolved into a discussion on the morality of killing. After seeing the first two standard rhetorical strategies, I pleaded exhaustion and jello-brain and told them "maybe later".

Lily, like any place on the net, has its share of people who are not worth having philosophical arguments with. I think I stopped that one civilly enough, before I lost my temper and said much what I said in this post.

[shadowwalkyr.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should have.

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

Morality of killing. Relative or absolute?

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

Given that I'm kinda fuzzy on the distinction (or maybe fuzzy in general, given that I handed my brain in with the exam this morning), it could be either.

I'm willing to discuss it with you. At least you aren't ready for your very own [Florida] tag.

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

Relative means that killing may or may not be wrong, depending on the circumstances in question. Relative morality is usually an "there is an exception to the rule" view, rather than the "every case must be judged independently and there is no clear and coherent rule" cop-out of someone who does not wish to take a position.

Absolute is simpler. Killing is always moral or immoral, no matter what the circumstances of the situation are.

If you pursue it down far enough, any self-consistent relative stance will be based on absolute beliefs. It's just a matter of zooming in far enough to find the individual black and white pixels that make up the portrait done in shades of grey.

[packy.livejournal.com]

Dear, that's what you get for arguing with certain people on lily... ;)

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

I believe knaveofhearts' comment was:

"Pigs. Singing."

I told him that was the conclusion I had come to as well.